Fifteen Years
by TheGiantSpider
Summary: Lucy has been gone for fifteen years. She had left in the middle of the night unannounced. Now traveling back how will everyone view her. She is accompanied by two people never before seen. Who are they and what purpose will they serve?
1. Chapter 1

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima is the creator and owner.

A/N: This is the first story I have written. Any and all reviews are welcome. If you have any ideas or see any errors please let me know. Thanks, and enjoy the story.

* * *

The train ride heading to Magnolia was taking a while. Lucy was sitting across from two teenagers. One a boy and the other a girl. Both of them appeared to be the same age. They were both blonde with determined onyx eyes. The boy was tall with a muscular build. The girl was slender just a head shorter than the boy.

"This ride is taking forever," the boy said with an annoyed tone to his voice.

The girl shifted her head from the window to the boy. "Maybe if you would just enjoy the scenery and appreciated the world you could see the entirety of it's beauty," the girl stated shuffling her face to look out the window again.

The boy erupted into a fury of anger. "And how would you know if you never go out and enjoy it. All you ever do is observe, not experience." The boy pouted and strutted away from the two.

The two of them always bickered. Not once have they ever gotten along. Lucy knew that very well, she was the one that raised them after all. For fifteen long years she's cared for them, off in a far away country. They've been traveling for two weeks now, heading to Magnolia. The two teenagers don't know what to expect on arriving, but Lucy has been anticipating the day she would once again return. She was also quite nervous. She had no idea how all of her friends would react. The only person she kept in contact for was Levy. She only sent her letters, refusing to give a return address for her. She didn't want Natsu showing up unexpectedly.

Natsu...

The man she loved since the day she met him in Hargeon. The man who had saved her countless times. The man who was by her side day in and day out. The man who gave her the freedom to live her life the way she wanted. The man she betrayed by leaving unannounced. The man that she most definitely left heart broken.

She was going in blind, heading back to Fairy Tail after fifteen years. So much could've changed, for the better or for the worst. News didn't travel far enough where they were about Fairy Tail.

What if they didn't want to see her anymore? How would they forgive her? Would they even remember who she was? Lucy's mind was a jumbled mess.

"You're back. I'm surprised you even came back." The girl snorted as the man sat back down.

"Well at least I'm not a helpless girl who can't even use magic." The boy retorted, striking a nerve in the girl.

"Even without magic I can kick your ass, and isn't that a sad thing coming from the mighty Dragon Slayer." The girl responded, a cheeky grin covering her face.

"In your dreams maybe, but if you think you can beat me at full power then be my guest and come at me." Said the boy with a maniacal look on his face.

Then the bickering continued. Each spitting out useless words hitting each other's nerves. Soon enough the two were in each other's faces, foreheads pressed together.

"That's enough. Conner, Layla what have I told you. Since you are brother and sister you are to get along, especially since we are in a public setting." Lucy stated as if saying it for the millionth time.

The tension released, and the two looked away from each other. Layla went back to staring and Conner looked to be in deep thought. Lucy snapped her head to look out the window also.

"And it looks like we are nearing our destination," Lucy stated. The two teenagers pressed their faces to the window. "Now remember this is where we are going to be staying for a while. I have a lot of business that needs to be taken care of."

The train was starting to slow down. The whole town was in view now. Lucy saw familiar structures; the Cardia Cathedral, Strawberry Street, but the thing that stood out most was the guild... Fairy Tail.

* * *

Natsu was sitting by the bar, looking like he always did. Head slumped over the counter he looked like he was thinking about her again today. For the past two weeks all he did was mope around. A letter arrived the other week which Levy showed everyone. She was going to show back up in Magnolia again in the near future. That's when Natsu's "depression" really set in. He didn't move, didn't go on jobs or even ate. And the one thing Natsu refused to do was not eating.

Slowly the guild master made his way over to him, stopping before the man to try to gather his thoughts. He stood there for what seemed like hours, thinking.

"Well are ya just gonna stand there or you gonna say something, Master." Natsu huffed, not even turning his head.

Gray stood there, looking down at him. He wasn't even surprised, the inhuman like sense of smell and hearing he could detect anyone from across town. Gray took his seat next to him gesturing to Mira to leave them be.

"You've been sitting around for two weeks now," Gray started. ".. and you haven't been eating anything. You should go out and clear your mind."

"But everything reminds me of her and you know that. She was my everything." Natsu choked out of his mouth. Tears were starting to form in the corner of his eyes. "And then she just left, leaving me alone. I gave so much of myself to her and she just disappeared, occasionally sending letters to Levy." He was screaming now. " I just want her to come back and have things go back to normal... Or as normal as it can get."

With that Natsu got up and ran away from Gray, the current guild master. Natsu was right when he said about things returning to normal. So much had changed and if Lucy returned it could only fill so much.

As Natsu was running to the doors he looked at the tables in sadness, remembering where everyone used to sit. Lucy, Happy and himself along with Mira and Cana were always at the bar. At one table used to sit Gray and Juvia along with Gajeel and Levy; each respective pair. Then the table over Jet and Droy would look at Levy with awe. On the other side Erza would be scolding Macao, Romeo and Wakaba for never doing anything. There were also; Reedus, the Rajin Squad, the Connell family, the Strauss siblings, and Max and Mest and even Nab.

Natsu glanced over to the corner looking at the guild masters room. Thinking back he remembered them all. Makarov, Precht and Mavis. Makarov had left the guild three years ago to travel with Laxus and had left Gray as his successor. The old man was having a battle of his own with cancer being as old as he was. It was for the best, but making Gray the master hadn't made Natsu the least bit happy.

The guild had been practically falling apart. The next generation wasn't living up to the expectations of what Natsu believed. No one new had joined Fairy Tail in a while, but that didn't matter. Fairy Tail was his home, and everybody around him was family.

All these thoughts went through Natsu's mind as he raced across the guild. Now he was standing at the entrance holding the door open. He looked back rather calmly now and thought about what he had just said. He was a complete idiot. He would apologize to Gray later. To be completely honest Natsu had really no idea why he was so mad. Lucy would be coming home soon and they would be happy.

Natsu decided he was going on a mission. He would take a rather short one to clear his mind, but also so he could get back as soon as he could. He ran over to the request board and looked them over. He picked one that was stationed in Hargeon that paid 90,000 jewel for attracting people to the circus by using his magic.

Hargeon... That had been were they first met. That was when his adventure had truly began. Quickly snapping back to reality he ran to the bar.

"Mira I'm going out on this job, the one in Hargeon." Natsu looked at her with his onyx eyes. Mira saw just how happy he looked and just gave him a nod. "And Ice Princess I'm sorry for earlier."

With that Natsu ran out of the guild, not looking back at the screaming ice wizard. He had to get home first and pick up his friend. She would be so happy they were going to the circus. She had never seen the circus before.

* * *

The train had finally come to a rest. The three blondes stepped off the train, looking at the city. It had expanded since the last time she had been there, but that was to be expected. She was focused on finding somewhere to be able to stay since her rent had been way to long past due; it's not like they all could fit in there anyways.

They could head to the guild and ask for rooms their, right? No, she didn't want to go there yet. The celestial mage needed to find another way. She had plenty of money, but when she had left Magnolia there hadn't been any place to stay that could hold more than two people to a room and she didn't want to let either of them out of her sight. She could always go to Natsu's house. Her face reddened at the thought. Hell no she wasn't going to do that.

"Mom I thought we were looking for a place to stay right," Conner had cut into her thoughts. ".. so why don't we start moving. It's starting to turn dark."

"Maybe she's thinking" the younger blonde stated.

"We had a twelve hour train ride. I'm sure she had plenty of time to think."

Conner was really starting to annoy her but he was right. With all the time on the train she should've had an idea of where they could go. Lucy stood there with a puzzled look on her face, staring up at the sky.

Her face lit up. She knew the perfect place to go. It would be private and she knew the person that lived there. Lucy was ashamed that she had even forgot about her. She didn't even live that far from the station.

* * *

Natsu burst through the door with excitement. Now where was she hiding. He looked around for the exceed with a smile on his face. It was one of the smiles he had that could be contagious. He was getting frustrated.

"Kari, where are you?" Natsu complained. There was no answer. "Come on I'm feeling a lot better. I want to go on a mission and not just any mission. We are goin' to the circus."

With that the little blue and white furball flew into the room and right onto his face.

"Really? I've never seen a circus before. What are we doing? Are we testing the rides? Is there gonna be fish? How long till we leave?" The little thing blabbers it all out in a second, heaving to catch her breath.

Before she could say anymore Natsu lifted his hand and ran his fingers through the hair on her back. "We are leavin' soon. 'Bout twenty minutes. Get ready and then we leave for Hargeon."

Kari flew to their room and was gone. Natsu was so glad she was happy. It had been a while since they had left to go on a mission together. He just sat there, letting her get ready. All he needed was some clothes, which he already had packed. There was always a sack by his door filled with clothes so he didn't have to do anything. Soon enough the exceed showed up in front of him.

"You ready Kari?" Natsu asked.

"Yea lets get going. I can't wait to see the lights at night. So what's the circus like?" The puffball asked quizzically.

"You'll see when we get there." The exceed's face drooped slightly. "Don't worry I know ya won't be disappointed. No matter how many times you go it's an experience you can't forget."

With that they scooted out of the house walking through the forest. It was quicker that way. Going through town took a lot of time and you only did that if you wanted to ride the train, and transportation really wasn't his forte. It was going to be a couple hours journey by foot. He didn't mind at all since his job didn't start until tomorrow. He also liked to stare at the full moon; seeing it glow radiantly. He was happy at the moment. Everything was how it needed to be.

* * *

Lucy walked up to the door. She lifted her right hand ready to knock, but she faltered. What if she didn't want to see her? Would she turn to the guild for hospitality then?

"Mom are you okay? Your hand is shaking quite badly." Layla had a hint of worry in her voice. "If you want I can knock on the door, even though I don't know who will answer."

Lucy shook her head, to focus and to silence her daughter. She raised her hand again and softly tapped the door a couple times. - No answer.

What was she doing? Could she really not knock on the damn door. She raised her hand again. This time she would hit the wood with such force the whole neighborhood would be able to hear it. Just as her hand neared the door it opened.

"Lu-chan!" She heard Levy squeal, seeing her face light up. Levy leaned in for a hug. "You're finally back where you belong. Come inside, it's getting pretty cold outside now that it's winter and all."

"Are you sure Levy. As you can see I'm not alone."

"Yea of course, she can come in."

Lucy's eyebrow raised. "But what about him." Lucy turned around and she gasped. Where the hell had Conner gone. She was to not let them out of her sight and she had broken that rule almost instantly.

"He had said that something was bothering him, some sort of smell that he couldn't get rid of." Layla said almost casually, trying to calm her mother. "It's okay he can handle himself and you know that."

Lucy let her body relax and sighed. She supposed that Layla was right. It's not like she could force him back if she wanted.

"Lu-chan come on. Get your asses in here it's freezing." Levy started squirming as the cold was making its way into the home. Lucy and Layla entered the house leaving the cold behind them. "You guys can stay as long as you like but it's pretty late. Get some sleep and we will talk in the morning. There is a guest room down the hall, last door on the left. If you need to use the bathroom it's right here." Levy placed her hand on the door nob.

"Levy, thanks for all this. You really are a life saver right now. I will have to pay you back somehow."

"Don't worry now get some sleep you two."

Lucy didn't argue. Her and Layla trudged through the hallway and entered the room. They dropped their stuff and headed for the two beds. Lucy collapsed onto the cushion and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Conner found himself walking through a forest. A familiar scent had reached his nose when he stepped of the train, but he didn't know anyone around here. He could always make his way back to his mom and sister, their scents embedded into his thick skull. The forest was beautiful sight with trees rising above him; towering giants. He had been walking for a while now and his legs were starting to ache.

In the distance he saw a rather rough looking home come into view. The wooden siding was being stripped away by the weather and the roofing had been way long overdue. As he neared the house he saw the sign.

"Natsu and Happy's home... And now Kari too!" He whispered to himself. "Looks like their was an addition to the family."

Conner didn't even bother to knock. He waltzed in like he owned the place. To his amazement no one was home. He guessed the scent he was following was the one called Natsu. He had smelled so familiar but he had never met anyone by that name. He rounded the corner and walked up the stairs. He stopped in front of a door.

This is his room. He entered and nothing. The place was trashed but the scent was all over. And then he smelt it. It was his mother's scent. He was confused for a minute and then it struck him like lightning.

"Oh shit... You gotta be kiddin' me." He spit out.

It took a minute for home to calm down. He walked out of the room and down the stairs. He remained in the house and laid down on the couch. He wasn't going back through the woods so he was going to spend the night.

He couldn't sleep because the thought popped into his head every time he closed his eyes. "Natsu is our father." He chanted this for hours until the sun finally began to rise and his eyes shut for a well deserved rest.

* * *

Sorry first time writing a story. The next two chapters will be uploaded within the week. Then the rest will be uploaded every Sunday. Already have the next couple chapters planned out and each one keeps on getting longer and longer. Hopefully going to hit 25+ chapters. Also I am writing all of this in my phone so I can write when I have the chance. Currently working two jobs and school without a car. But as I said don't forget to write reviews, whether it be for good or bad. Have a nice day!


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Fairy Tail or any assets. All of which are owned by Hiro Mashima.

The second chapter is here. Sorry I was trying to upload it at 3PM eastern standard time. That will be the time I will be uploading every Sunday after these first three chapters. Chapter three will be out on **Tuesday**.

* * *

The sun began to peek over the horizon and Natsu could see the port town of Hargeon coming into view. Kari had fallen asleep on his head and after about eight hours of walking he had made it. The town was beautiful. Everywhere you looked there were shops. This was one of the biggest financial places in all of Fiore. People were bustling through the streets and the sun had just started rising.

In a couple of hours he was expected at the job site. It wasn't hard to find, the Ferris wheel practically a dead giveaway. He couldn't wait for Kari to see the spectacle. As he grew closer he saw the merry-go-round as well as some of the tents set up for attractions. He decided while he worked he would let Kari explore the tents to decide which ones they would play after he was finished.

He was approaching the entrance now and there were a couple men waiting outside, discussing something about the circus. They were using some big words he couldn't understand so he decided to speak up.

"U..Umm I'm Natsu from Fairy Tail," He stammered, everyone looked up at him. ".. And I'm here for attracting people to the circus. Oh and this little thing is Kari." He stated as the puffball stirred.

"Great to meet you Natsu. My names Cain and I here own this circus." A tall man announced. He has deep blue eyes with a sharp jawline, and some pretty big muscles. The man was practically a spitting image of Gajeel except his hair was short and had a well kept beard. "So when do you want to start?"

"I can start whenever I want?" Natsu looked at the man, looking confused.

"Our circus is going to open in a few hours. If you can wow them with some magic we can start this day off right. We also need you to kickstart the first day off and then people will keep coming back." The man let a smile show.

Natsu took this as an invitation. He looked back at the town, looking for the tallest building he could. He ran full throttle towards the building. He had a plan and it showed across his face.

Kari looked at him with wide eyes. "Remember Natsu we are supposed to attract people to the circus, not destroy the entire town. What are you planning?"

"Just wait and be amazed my little furry friend." With that he let out one of his laughs, one that can make everyone laugh with him.

* * *

Back in Magnolia the sun had just started to peek over the horizon. The light filtered through the window into the bedroom. Inside the room Lucy had begun to stir. Blinking as she woke up she felt an odd presence in the house. She quickly glanced around the room to find nothing. With that she got up and out of the room. Making her way down the hallway she could hear a conversation. Layla was still asleep so obviously someone else had showed up. Lucy stopped at the corner and listened to the conversation.

"... And they showed up last night. Lucy was standing there with a woman named Layla. She also mentioned a boy but apparently he ran off somewhere."

Levy was talking about her?! Who the hell was she telling this to. She wanted to keep a secret and if it was anyone from the guild she'd be screwed. She peeked around the corner to see just who she was talking to.

"Oh really. That's a lot of information there Levy. So I guess we could assume these two are her children." The voice was familiar but seemed strange. "I also don't like when people listen in on others talking." She saw the man come into view for a split second then he disappeared.

Lucy let out a "Eep" as a cold hand touched her shoulder. She instantaneously reacted by swinging her fist at him. She stopped when she realized who it was. The long dark hair, his cold touch and the deep voice. It all made sense. "Gray.."

"How ya doing there Princess. Been quite a while hasn't it." The man motioned her to come take a seat. They walked back over and sat down. "So after all this time you decide to show up?"

"The time came where I could return. Do you really think I wanted to leave? I love Fairy Tail and missed everyone."

"A lot has changed. It's not the same Fairy Tail and you know that. Fifteen years is a lot of time..." He trailed off with a glum look on his face.

"That's to be expected but Fairy Tail is still my family." She lifted her hand to show him the mark. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You better have a good reason why you left. Some of the people you left have experienced a lot of pain and you know that a certain Dragon Slayer most definitely missed you." He looked at her with cold eyes. "After receiving the last letter you sent he changed. He wouldn't do anything, even eat. And you know how much he likes his food."

Lucy felt hurt. Why would Natsu feel like that? In her letter she said she would be returning soon. Did that mean he didn't want to see her? Did he hate her now? Was all of this a mistake?

"Now go ahead and give us some information."

"Come on you must know. I show up fifteen years later with two young teenagers, well one but there should be two." Her voice was getting raspy.

"I think we have the general idea but why don't you just clarify with us. We don't know the truth until you give it to us."

"Well.. U-umm. Natsu and I you know." Her face was flushed red. "And I wanted to keep the child. Then that turned into twins. Then I realized something. Natsu had no idea what happened. He didn't know how children were made and I didn't want to lay a burden on his shoulders for my selfish decision."

"Selfish decision? And what do you mean by burden. Children aren't a burden, they are just another means to happiness. They share a bond with their parents, one that can't be broken by anything."

"I'm sure Natsu knows that, but by the time Natsu realized that something was wrong with me, I just couldn't tell him. You don't know how Natsu will react to anything. And I didn't want him to not experience life to the fullest."

"But you took one of the greatest experiences away from him. Raising a child, that is one of the greatest things a person can do."

He was right. Lucy was just a selfish little girl. She hadn't let Natsu know she was pregnant. She had just left in the middle of the night. The only person who knew her location that was a part of the guild was Master Makarov. However, there was another reason why she had to leave.

She let out a sigh and gave Gray her full attention.

"There is another reason why I left but I'd rather not tell anyone but the master. He needs to be able to take action..." She trailed off into her thoughts.

"Oi, well ain't that quite the predicament." Lucy looked up at him. What in the hell was he talking about? "Guess news doesn't travel to where you were. Makarov backed down three years ago. And I was the one who took his place."

With that Lucy's jaw dropped. He was the new Master. She knew that a lot has changed but Gray being the master. She was only scratching the surface too. There must be more shocking things than that.

Lucy stared into Gray's eyes. Now she had to tell him. Makarov must've not said anything because it was already taken care of. "Before I tell you anything Gray, you have to promise to keep this a secret, and not let anyone know that I've returned yet."

Gray nodded. "I understand. Now what's wrong, this seems like it's very important."

"Makarov approached me one day. He told me that a bounty had been placed on my head and that I could decide what I wanted to do. The first option; the one I took was to head up to a place he had in Brago. I was allowed to send letters to anyone, but decided that Levy could relay information if she wanted." Lucy stopped to catch her breath. "The other option was to stay and put everyone in danger."

"Fairy Tail is danger and you know that Lucy. We could've protected you because you're our nakama."

"No you don't understand. No matter what there was no way that could be possible. The bounty on my head exceeded 200 million jewel." With that Gray's face turned into a frown. "With that kind of money on the line people from all over would come for me and hurt everyone. It would never let up and everyone would have died."

"And you think we care. You remember Phantom Lord. We don't care what the odds are, we will fight for our nakama." With that Lucy's faced teared up. She couldn't hold back the feelings anymore.

* * *

Standing at the top of the tallest building in all of Hargeon, Natsu prepared himself for what he was about to do. Breathing in he was focusing on readying his Fire Dragon Roar. Kari was still sitting on his head, watching him prepare for something spectacular. Then there was nothing. Kari was confused.

"Natsu I thought you were preparing for something. You were never the kind of person to let me down." He just stood there, a smile flickered across his face. Kari looked down, "what's with that cheeky grin."

Natsu let out his breath attack flying towards the nearby overhanging cliff. His attack lasted for several moments, swiveling his head so that he could write. Kari was confused. Natsu didn't write.

Then Natsu was finished, still having that grin of his spread across his face. Then Kari looked to see what was written. "Come to the circus- Natsu Dragneel."

From the streets below they could hear people talking.

"Wow I forgot that the circus was in town."

"Natsu. As in Natsu the Salamander. We are definitely going to the circus if he approves it."

"Can't believe a big shot like him would come to Hargeon for the circus."

Natsu stood there grimacing. He was praised as the savior after the Great Zeref War. He had set his brother straight, having sealed him up so he could no longer be revived. Acnologia however, had escaped and he had only heard of sightings over the past couple years. He was starting to resume activity.

With a shake of his head he regained his thoughts. He climbed down the side of the building, not taking the stairs. This was the Natsu Kari remembered. His care free self, not worrying about anything. They touched the ground and Natsu made his way back to Cain. Now the bustling streets stopped to look at the man who passed by.

Natsu Dragneel.

After a couple minutes he had made it back to entrance.

"Looks like you did good. Seems like everybody knows who you are. Doesn't the fame get from you from time to time."

"What are ya talkin about, I barely even get noticed and I like it like that." As he said that Cain was pointing behind him. Natsu was confused and then Cain started laughing. Natsu turned around, noticing half the town following him.

"Barely even get noticed, okay Natsu" The sarcasm was noticeable. "You guys go on ahead. Here's the money, so go and enjoy the circus." He slapped the money into Natsu's hand and shoved them into the circus grounds.

"Ready to have some fun Kari, we have this whole place to ourselves."

"Natsu didn't you forget you have motion sickness." With that his face fell. How could he forget that? He was an idiot. "Don't worry I won't make you go on anything to spinny or shaky." With that the cat put on an evil grin and they started to make their way through the grounds.

* * *

Where was she? What time was it? Where is Lucy? Layla sat up in her bed and looked around. She was in a room with two beds. Looks like the sun was high in the sky. She must've slept through breakfast. Then she remembered. They were at Levy's house. She had no idea how her mom knew this person. She really didn't talk much about the past.

Conner...

Where the hell did he go? All he said was there was a strange scent in the air and said he'd be back. I wonder if he's back yet? She got up and stretched. Since her mother wasn't in the room anymore she walked into the hallway. Then she heard her mothers' voice and a couple others.

".. great to have you back Lucy. We should probably have your children join us. I'm sure they would love to."

"I'm sure they would too, but that is all up to them. Hell the one decided to go off wandering and hasn't come back yet. He was always the trouble maker of the two."

With that Layla heard laughter. So Conner wasn't back yet and what was with them joining something? The guild possibly? No her mom said she disliked guilds when they were children, so then who was this man. She could sense a lot of magical energy coursing through his body. He must be pretty strong.

"Lucy what is with your kin liking to snoop around?" The man's voice sounded so close that he could...

She felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She nearly had a heart attack as she spun around and swatted at him. He was taller than her with dark hair and a muscular build. What really scared her was the fact he wasn't wearing a shirt. What was he doing? Was he going to try.?.

"no No NO," she was screaming now. ".. Get the hell away from me you pervert." With the that she kicked him in the stomach and ran for her mother. Why the hell was she laughing? And Levy too. This was all so strange to her. If Conner were here he would beat the crap out of the man.

He was getting off the floor now. He was laughing too. These people had to be insane. It's not like she could defend herself against him, she had no magic. However, his seemed so strong and she hasn't even seen it.

"Lucy she really takes after you two. Is the other one like this? If he is them were gonna have a heck of a lot of fun." His words made her shiver. Was he going to enslave them? No, her mom would never allow such things. She was reading the situation the wrong way.

"No." Her mom stated simply. "He is way worse, just like his father possibly more irritating." His father? Lucy didn't like talking about their father either but if she's bringing it up he must be somewhere nearby.

"So Layla," the man stated. ".. How would you like to join Fairy Tail. Your mother here has left the decision to you. And don't worry we have plenty of non-magic users."

"Wow Gray way to get to the point." Levy turned to her. "Anyways Fairy Tail is a wonderful place, and maybe you do have magic. You just haven't discovered it yet." Levy had a huge smile on her face.

All this had happened so fast. She hadn't even been awake for more than ten minutes and it seems like she's starting to learn a lot about her mothers' life. Layla couldn't even think straight but she knew one thing for sure.

"Mom are you part of Fairy Tail?"

"Of course, how do you think that I met all of these wonderful people."

Layla turned to Gray and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I will join Fairy Tail but you need to explain some things to me." She stated confidently.

"Anything you want to know, but keep it short I have to leave very soon." With those words a small smile formed on Layla's face. She was a part of the guild Fairy Tail now.

* * *

They were on the final ride, the dreaded ferris wheel. Kari had stated that after this she would be happy and content. She looked out the window in awe as they were reaching the summit. The ride was thirty minutes total and he had been feeling like crap since the moment he set foot on it.

"Natsu this is awesome. I haven't been this high without using my wings before." He looked over at her, face pressed against the window. "I think this is on of the most beautiful things I have seen."

"It really is.." He started to think about Happy. They had been on this before together. It had been when Lucy was still around.

"Natsu you okay? You look like you're thinking again." His face died down, thinking again. Was it really a terrible thing if he's in deep thought. "I just don't want you to keep having that awful grown on your face, it makes me sad."

Natsu quickly shook himself. He should be happy for Kari's sake. "Thanks buddy, I wouldn't be able to do anything without you. You are one of my best friends."

With that the wheel halted to a stop. He lurched forward, falling into the ground. Kari fell on top of him. The cart settled. The both of them laid there for a while and then Natsu burst out laughing.

"I can't wait for many more adventures, with all of our friends," Natsu stated. He could wait a little longer, and then they would all go on new adventures together.

* * *

He couldn't even think straight. He wasn't getting off the couch, the thing was really comfy. He could tell it was past mid-day already and he couldn't care less. He was in his father's house and he still hadn't returned. Where the hell was he? Maybe he was at a friends' place and passed out drunk. It's not like he knew anything about his father, his mom refusing to give any information at all.

He couldn't get up so he just laid there. Not like he wanted to move anyways. He wanted to meet his father, but he didn't know when he'd show up. There was no sense worrying about it. "Should rest up before he gets here. Better be ready 'cause I have a ton of questions for you." With that Conner fell back asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. The owner is the very talented Hiro Mashima.

A/N: Chapter three is out now. Hope you enjoy. This chapter is still developing some plot and don't worry there will be some action soon. This story is going to be split into three adventures so there is plenty more to come.

* * *

The light was fading quickly as the sun began to set. Lucy was determined to go see the guild tomorrow. Natsu was supposedly out on a job, so she might not see him tomorrow. Conner still hasn't been seen since the night before, though there was no need to worry. What made Lucy really happy was her daughter joining Fairy Tail. She couldn't even use magic and she was determined to be a part of a wizard guild.

"Mom it's getting dark. We should retire for the night." Layla stepped out onto the balcony beside herself. "As Levy said it's winter time so we don't want to be out here at night." With that they shuffled into their temporary room.

"Layla we should head to the guild tomorrow. We should also send a group to go look for Conner." Their was a hint of worry in her voice. "He's strong but it has been a whole day without a single trace of him."

"That's true. Is there anywhere you could think he would've gone? He did say he noticed a particular scent floating in the air, something that he recognized."

Lucy laid down onto the bed to think. He hadn't been spotted around town. What was around the town that could be bothering him. The lake? The forest? Forest... Natsu's house was in the forest. She had spent a lot of time in his house before she had left, but that was a long time ago. Maybe he had a connection to Natsu's scent?

"There is one place but it's a quite a long walk outside of Magnolia. If he's there than there's nothing to worry about. Someone should be arriving soon that could protect him no matter what."

"Is there really someone that strong around these parts? I know that Fairy Tail is a wizard guild but Gray's magical energy was nowhere close to Conner's. What kind of monster could match or even surpass him?" Layla looked at her, with a quizzical look on her face.

"There are plenty of people stronger than Conner. We were stationed in Brago, not too many people there practice magic. Now that we're in Fiore a lot more people will intimidate you."

* * *

The walk home sure was taking longer than it did before. He didn't remember it being this long. He had just made it back to the forest, but the forest was pretty large. It would still be another couple hours until he would reach his house. The sun had just set and he could see the moon rising in the distance.

He couldn't wait to lay down in his bed. He was very tired after the mission and all the rides Kari made him suffer through. He would get back at the cat eventually.

Lucy would also be showing up sooner or later. He should mentally prepare himself. Fifteen years is a long time. A lot can change, he knew that firsthand. Look at the guild, they were just barely hanging on. She would be shocked to see the state of the guild and himself. He sure did miss her though and couldn't wait to see her. To see her smile. To see her laugh, but he didn't want to see her cry. The last thing he wanted to watch was Lucy crying.

* * *

Layla couldn't sleep. She couldn't wait to go to the guild tomorrow and meet all the people. Sure the master was a pervy ice mage but surely their must be some normal wizards. And what her mom said was irking her. People were actually stronger than Conner. How was that possible? When he was serious it sent chills down her spine. She couldn't wait to meet some of them.

Not being able to fall asleep she walked out the door and down the hallway. She needed something to drink so she went to the kitchen. There was absolutely nothing in the fridge. Should she head to the market? No they would be closed now. She could head to the guild, Gray had promised her mother not to speak about them yet. Would they let her in? They didn't know she was a member yet but did they not let people come in if they paid for food. She couldn't see that, Gray being a nice guy she was sure the rest of them would be.

Walking out the door she headed down the street towards the guild. There wouldn't be too many people around at this hour but she knew it was still open. She wondered what it was like when it was light out. Did people in Fairy Tail act properly? She highly doubted it. The master stripped in front of her. They were probably a rowdy bunch.

She could see the guild come into view, just a couple more blocks and she would be face to face with the doors. She better not anger them because she was going to be joining them. She could see the entire front of the guild now. She could see the lights glowing through the window. There was a lot of noise coming from the guild.

As she approached the guild she looked through the window. What was she looking at. People were all over the place. It was dark out, shouldn't they be heading home? She faltered for a moment. I guess this is what her mother meant by them being family.

"What are you doing out here little girl." A voice boomed from behind her. She quickly turned around. What were with people sneaking up on her? Was that the proper way to greet someone around here? The voice was from a rather talk and very muscular man. His hair was white with sideburns and a scar under his one eye. "You'll catch a cold if you stay out here. Come inside and get warmed up."

The man led her inside and took her to the bar. She sat down as he talked to the woman behind the bar. "Mira get her something warm to drink." The white haired woman turned to grab a glass. "My names Elfman by the way. Now what were you doing standing outside at this late an hour?"

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk. I'm from out of town and didn't know that all the shops closed this early." She tried to act as genuine as possible to deceive the two. "My throat was getting a bit raspy so I was looking for a place to get a drink." As she said that Mira placed a steaming hot chocolate in front of her. "Thank you Mira."

She passed the time by asking about the two's past. They were pretty interesting. Having lost their little sister and having her come back. They had been a crucial part of the battle with Tartaros, Elfman blowing up the guild trying to save his sister. He still blamed himself. Before long she noticed how much time had passed.

"Sorry but I must be going. I didn't realize that it had gotten this late." She got up and looked at the two one last time for the night. "I hope we can talk soon me more another time." With that she walked past the now deserted tables and walked out the door.

* * *

It was cold. Really cold. Where was he again. Oh yea, in Natsu's house. It seemed to be nighttime again so he closed his eyes again, trying to sleep till morning. Then he would head back to town to his mother and sister.

Then it was hot. Really hot. Wait why the hell would the temperature spike in the middle of the night. He forced his eyes open. Rubbing the blurriness out of his eyes he took a look around the room. Nothing out of the ordinary. He must imagining it.

"And who the hell do you think ya are?" Conner was startled. He sat up, looking around again. He hadn't even sensed anyone else around. Didn't even smell or hear anything. So where was this guy? "You gonna answer me or do I have to beat it out of you?" This time he could tell where the voice was coming from.

He turned around and looked at the front door. Standing there was a man, just taller than him with pink hair. He was in all black clothes, with a little furball on his head. "I just stumbled across this place last night. I was walking through the forest and had gotten lost." That was good enough to fool the man. Was this Natsu, his father of all people.

"Lying sack of shit, what are you really doing here? Don't bother lying, I can hear your heartbeat from right here."

Conner had a stupid look on his face. Able to sense his heartbeat. It was beating rather fast, but that wasn't the issue. How could he tell from that distance how fast his heart was pounding. There was no point in trying to lie. "I was following a scent I picked up from in town. It led me to this place and I've been waiting for about a day now. You're Natsu I presume?"

"And who wants to know exactly." The pink haired man looked pissed. Steam was rising from his mouth. Steam? This guy was crazy. He really acted on pure instinct, not really putting much thought into his words.

"My names Conner. I arrived in this town yesterday with my mother and sister. We are looking for a few people she knew." He wasn't really lying so he wouldn't be able to tell. If this man really was Natsu he didn't want him to know exactly who he was. He sure was crazy.

"I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel, the one who defeated Zeref and brought and end to the Great War." With that his face lightened up. "And this little gal is Kari." He pointed to his head. "She's had a long day so let's not bother her. Nice to meet ya, and don't ever lie to me. You're welcome to spend the night and tomorrow I'll help you find your family."

What the hell. His father was the one who ended the Great War. How would his mother know anyone like that? She always said she hated pointless fighting. It was a war so maybe it wasn't really pointless.

"Thanks but no thanks. I can't have a man of such significance helping me find my family. It would make me feel helpless." Natsu sure was oblivious, not even questioning him about his sense of smell. "And I would rather not make you travel to town. The walk there really takes it out of you."

"It's no problem at all. I'm actually heading there tomorrow anyways. I have to report on my mission to the guild. Just think of it as a side quest. I like helping people out anyway." With that a grin swooped across his face.

"Alright, have it your way. You really are a stubborn one you know." Conner looked away, stumbling back to the couch. The guy really was a pain but knowing he was his father made him feel indifferent about the whole thing. Conner's mind fell to rest as his eyes shut for the last time that night.

Natsu climbed the stairs to his room. That kid sure was something. He had made his way here using his nose alone. Too bad he didn't sense him or he would've been really impressed. "That kid is something else. Maybe he should join the guild." He opened the door and waltzed to his bed. All this could wait until morning.

* * *

She had just made it back to Levy's apartment. The moon was high on the sky, light filtering down to the streets below. In the one day she has been here she realized just how beautiful a place Magnolia was.

She turned to the door, pushing it open slowly to not wake anyone. If her mother knew she had left without her knowing she'd be in a whole mess of trouble. She turned around and quietly shut the door.

"Where exactly have you been?" The lights flickered on. She spun around and saw her mother there, leaning against the table. "Unlike Conner you aren't strong enough to handle yourself. Especially since were in Magnolia now, you need to take precautions."

"I know but I just couldn't sleep. My mind has been racing since this morning." If she didn't tell her mom now, the people at the guild would surely let her know she was there. "I went to the guild, met some of the people there. They're a rowdy bunch but that's something I could get used to." She readied for the onslaught of words she knew were to come. Nothing... She looked up and her mother was just staring at her.

"If you thought I'd be mad I'm not. Actually that will make things a little less tense tomorrow." Lucy's mouth curved into a smile. "We're going to need their help and since you've met them already we can skip some unnecessary blabbering. Now go to bed, we have to get up early."

With that Lucy turned to the hall, heading towards their room. She followed, surprised at how her mother took the whole thing. She was sure she was going to be scolded. Just how long has her mother known all these people? With them around she noticed her mother's attitude shift. She no longer was as tense, Lucy was always paranoid before now. She must've felt safe. With that thought Layla laid her head on her pillow. She shuffled under the covers and closed her eyes. She was really tired and almost instantly sleep took her over.

* * *

The sun shone through the window, just breaking over the horizon. His room was a complete mess but he didn't care about that. It had been that was ever since he built it.

He sat up taking in his surroundings. Everything was as it was before he left. Kari was asleep at the foot of the bed. He took in a deep breath through his nose. He picked up the boy's scent, startled that he had forgotten about him. He was going to help Conner find his family. Magnolia wasn't to large, and with both of them looking it shouldn't take too long. Then he'd head to the guild to report on his mission to Gray. At least his day was full of activities to keep him occupied.

He shuffled to his feet, making sure that Kari didn't wake up. She had been so tired when they showed up last night. He walked to the door, his stomach growling. He hadn't had anything to eat since leaving Hargeon. That was almost twenty hours ago. This was unacceptable. He walked down the stairs heading for the kitchen.

He entered the main room, looking towards the couch. Conner was sprawled across the furniture, mouth wide open snoring. Pretty carefree for being in a strangers house. Or was he not a stranger to him? He never asked Conner how his scent was familiar. Maybe he met Conner on a mission when he was a kid? It really didn't matter. What did was his stomach.

He wheeled around heading for the kitchen. He was going to make an amazingly big breakfast. Surely Conner must be hungry too, he said he had been here for a day. He didn't have a bag or anything and nothing in the kitchen was touched. Now that he thought about it almost everything was how he left it. Did Conner come to his house and sleep the entire time? Natsu shouldn't complain, he himself had done it to Lucy a lot when she was around.

Lucy...

She was going to be showing up soon. Soon could mean anything. Heck a month to fifteen years was 'soon.' He shouldn't be thinking about this while cooking. He was already bound to make a mess, so being distracted would make everything worse.

He liked his bacon extra crispy. Same thing for the pancakes, sausage, hash browns and everything else he could find that was breakfast related. It took quite a while for everything to finish cooking. But it all looked delicious, burnt to a crisp. Maybe Conner and Kari wouldn't like overly toasted food. He had been cooking to his liking and they most likely wouldn't want it.

He heard some stumbling in the other room. Conner had awoken. He quickly placed the food on the table, waiting for him to make his way to the kitchen.

He appeared in the doorway, arm resting on the frame. "Come and take a seat, there's plenty to go around." He let a smile slip across his face.

Conner looked up at him with a tired face. "Where is Kari?"

"She's asleep upstairs. Don't worry she won't want this. I accidentally burned most of the stuff. You don't mind do you?"

"That's not what I mean." Conner's face looked panicked now. He looked up at the ceiling. "It's here now."

* * *

He had awoken to the smell of burnt food. Just the way he liked it. It smelled like all sorts of breakfast foods. He really wanted some bacon, the smell was so enticing. He hadn't eaten since arriving in Magnolia.

Then there it was. Magical energy so powerful, he could sense it approaching quickly. He had to let Natsu and Kari know. He wasn't sure how strong they were.

He stumbled to his feet. Why was he so tired. He had just slept over twenty-four hours. He heard Natsu scramble to place some silverware down. Did he really not notice the energy. He forced himself to his feet and made his way to the kitchen. Arm resting against the frame he caught his breath. What was with himself?

"Come take a seat, there's plenty to go around."

Conner looked up at him, seeing a toothy grin across his face. He really didn't notice, or he was confident enough he didn't care. "Where is Kari?" He barely got that out his mouth.

"She's asleep upstairs. Don't worry she won't want this. I accidentally burned most of the stuff. You don't mind do you?"

His face was now fear-stricken. He had no idea what was happening. Kari wouldn't be able to last a second against what's to come. "That's not what I mean." His gaze was now directed at the ceiling, feeling the powerful being right above them. "It's here now."

Natsu's face showed a confused expression. Then all Conner could see was a piercing blue light.

* * *

A/N: Sort of cliffy, I know what happens already but you don't. You're going to have to wait until Sunday... Or will you? This world is full of surprises.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. The mastermind is non other than Hiro Mashima.

A/N: I thought that since I had some free time I would write this and give it to you guys. I did have half this chapter written and that's why I released it early. Next chapter will definitely be Sunday and from then on be weekly chapters. Enjoy.

* * *

They had gotten up early and she was super tired. Being at the guild half the night really had taken a lot of her. Still swatting at her blurry eyes she looked around. Very few people were awake right now. Shops were just opening to start their day. Even though everyone was sleepy she could see smiles on their faces. They were happy, looking forward to the day.

"Layla keep up now dear. I don't want us to get separated." She could hear her mother's voice. So what if she fell behind. She knew where the guild was and she wouldn't disappear for days like Conner did.

"Yeah I know." She blurted out, her body ignoring what her mind was thinking. She slowly caught up to Levy and her mother. The two were walking in complete silence. Trudging along, Layla looked up to look at the guild. It was taking so long unlike last night.

They walked for what seemed like forever and the guild slowly made its way towards them. She finally saw the doors come into view and smiled. She would be able to see Mira and Elfman again. Levy stood beside the window, looking through. "Seems like almost everyone is here."

Then they swirled around and walked up to the doors. Just as her mom went to open a tremor began. It was subtle but then intensified into what felt like a full blown earthquake. Getting up to her feet she turned, looking for the source. In the distance it looked like a giant blue bubble, far away in the forest.

"Natsu..." She heard her mom mumble. Layla turned her head to see her crying. Then out of nowhere her mom let out one of the most disheartening screams she has ever heard. Whoever Natsu was, he was definitely someone important.

* * *

"I thought Natsu would've been back by now." Gray let out a long sigh. He needed Natsu to show up to give him confirmation. Ever since the Great War ended, the council watched over the completion of missions and made sure the Masters would report. It was all a pain in the ass. Being Master and all had its perks but also gave him limitations.

"Gray-sama!" He heard a screech beside him. Juvia was standing there, eyeing him up. "You haven't come home in two days. Juvia is starting to become annoyed." With that she turned and walked back out into the guild.

"Just as annoying as ever, that's why I love her." Gray whispered to himself. He thought about her, remembering the fun times they've had the last couple years.

Then everything went hectic. The ground started shaking and he fell out of his chair. He quickly got up and ran out the door. Everyone was a big mess on the floor of the guild. The shaking stopped and he let out a sigh of relief. "Must've been an earthquake and now it's over." At least that's what he thought.

A piercing scream came from outside the guild. As everyone stumbled to get up Gray hurdled above everyone and stepped outside. Levy and Layla were standing there, looking out towards the forest. Lucy was the one who screamed, and had collapsed on the ground. Tears running down her face and in her hands she murmured, "Natsu.. House- blue explosion." He stood there confused.

Gray finally put two and two together. There had to have been a giant blue explosion off in the direction on Natsu's house. By this time everyone was outside.

"Is that Lucy?"

"Was she the one who screamed? She looks like she's crying."

"Hey Lucy are you okay? What's wrong, can we help?"

Gray crouched beside her and pulled her into his arms. She looked up at him. "Don't worry he wasn't home. He's been out on a mission, he would've come to report as soon as he came back."

"What about Conner." She looked up into his eyes. "He had wandered off looking for someone and Natsu is the only person I can think he could track." He waited a moment before answering.

"Didn't you say he was pretty powerful himself? If so he should've seen that coming a mile away."

Then it hit him. Powerful magic energy was making its way towards the guild. He has felt this energy before and couldn't find why it was here. "Lucy you need to get up now. Levy, Layla get your mother behind me." They stared at him, puzzled. "Don't just stand there, we have a visitor."

Gray turned to see them scoot her back towards the direction of the guild. Gray watched as the black and blue lizard made its way towards them. Acnologia. What could he possibly want? The council could surely track him now that he's reappeared after all this time. With that the dragon transformed landing gracefully on the ground in human form. Slowly the man walked towards him. He stopped a couple meters away staring. Gray had already put himself into his Devil Slayer form, the black marks covering the right side of his body.

"Now now ice wizard," the man started. His voice was intimidating. "... I haven't come for a fight as long as you agree to some terms."

"Oi what can I help you with." Sarcasm riddled his voice. "You don't look like you've come peacefully, blowing up part of the forest." His hand pointed in the direction of Natsu's house.

"Just wanted to make sure there were no interruptions." A smirk appeared on the man's face. Gray's eyes widened. Was he saying that Natsu was home? He always came to the guild first, so why not this time? "Now let's get back to why I'm here." Gray's thoughts were interrupted. "I'm here for a certain person, one with quite a bounty on her head. I heard she showed back up here, after being away for quite some time."

Gray looked back at Lucy. Fear was stricken across her face, if not for herself it was for Natsu and Conner. Acnologia had just said he had gotten rid of him. Impossible Natsu's abilities have improved so much. "Come on you must know the answer to that question. We would never give up one of our own, no matter what the consequences." Gray looked at the dragon as he let out a laugh.

"Just to let you know the bounty doesn't state whether to take her dead or alive. I guess it doesn't matter then. I didn't want to involve you but now it seems I can not only kill you and you're guild members but the entire town." With that he transformed again and flew up into the air.

He was going to kill everyone in the town. He couldn't protect everyone could he? He had to try, he was the Master and it was his duty to protect what he could. "Everyone inside the guild. Cover yourselves with whatever you can, I don't know how devastating his attack will be."

Everyone stood for a second processing what he said. Then they scrambled into the guild, after hearing the door close he could concentrate. Putting a fist into his palm he concentrated as hard as he could. He had to make an ice shield to cover the town. "Ice make: Grand Shield." Ice shot from his hands, reaching up into the sky. It started to harden and expanding. After a few moments he had to stop, creating a shield this size ripped through his energy.

He collapsed onto the ground. Not being able to stand he flipped himself over, looking into the sky. His heart dropped, the shield barely covering half the town. "Dammit, I'm so worthless." At that very moment he saw a dazzling blue light filtering down at him. "Guess this is the end."

"Shut the hell up ice princess." That voice. Natsu, how the hell was he here. Then everything was dark. Really dark.

* * *

Note: I was so tempted to end this chapter here but that would be way too short for not only me but your guys liking. Enjoy, the real action is about to start. To be honest This is the first time I wrote a fighting scene. Definitely not the best.

* * *

"Just in time." As Conner looked at his creation he was happy. The shitty little ice shield couldn't protect anything, especially since it was a dragon attacking. Using his magic Conner created a giant shield using his Dragon Slayer magic. "Now where's that excuse for a dragon."

Quickly searching around he hopped onto his creation so he could get a better viewpoint. The blast from the dragon barely buffeted the shield. But let's be honest that was nowhere near as strong as Acnologia was.

The dragon was descending from the sky. He was staring at the shield, looking almost baffled. Conner was happy, this would be the first real battle against a worthy opponent. They seemed to be of equal strength. It would be a great battle, but he needed to keep everyone safe.

"You piece of trash. You just ruined my bounty hunting." The dragon spoke?! What the hell. Bounty? Who would send a dragon bounty hunting to destroy a town? This was hurting Conner's head. "I'll kill you and then everyone else."

"Acnologia I presume. You're strong but so am I. You better not underestimate me." The dragon morphed into a human. What-the-hell-was-this-guy? Never mind that. "And what's this about a bounty?"

"Lucy Hearphilia must be eliminated." Conner's heart dropped. Someone wanted his mom dead. Anger pushed its way into Conner. He would stop this guy and then kill the one who created the bounty. "From what I can tell you're one of her children. Scum that must be destroyed."

Conner lunged at him, fists aiming for face. The man was quickly dodging all the thrusts from his arm. "And the other child I might as well take as a trophy. She has a scent that I crave." He said it in the most god awful tone. Conner was going to end him. No more talking just fighting.

* * *

"What were you doin' just laying there. If you woulda died I'd kill you." He yelled at Gray. "It's alright now. We are gonna kick his ass into a new planet." He turned to go help Conner. Neither of them would be able to win alone, but Conner insisted on him making sure everyone was alright before he came back.

"Wait Natsu..." Grays voice trailed. "Come to the guild quick. You need to see something." He could hear his voice pleading.

"Is it absolutely necessary? I sorta left a kid to fight Acnologia. He has family somewhere in this town and they'd kill me if he died."

"Trust me, it's something you need to see." Gray looked him straight in the eye. He wasn't lying, Natsu felt he needed to go there too. He didn't know why it was just a sort of calling.

"Fine but we have to make it quick."

"Don't you think I already know that."

The two raced into the guild, Gray throwing the doors wide open. Now what the hell did he need to see? Gray was heading towards the Master's room. What would be in there?

Natsu pushed him out of the way. He couldn't be wasting time. Every passing second Conner was struggling. He whipped the door opened and saw two blonde haired girls. The one was crying, why was she...

That smell. It couldn't be could it? The smell of vanilla and flowers. "Luce." Natsu choked out, waiting to see if the girl moved. The crying ceased and she looked up.

"Natsu, you're okay." She ran to him pulling himself into her arms. "That asshole said he killed you. I saw the explosion myself."

"It would take more than that to kill me and you know that. I know that you just came back and all but I really have something to do." He gave her a good squeeze and then turned to leave.

"If you're here than who's out there, fighting Acnologia? Don't tell me Conner is out there alone, yea he's strong but it's Acnologia. He could've blown away the entire town." Natsu's eyes widened. She knew Conner. Wait, was he Lucy's son. He was a Dragon Slayer, but Natsu never even asked what his attribute was.

"How do you know Conner? I found him at my house when I returned home from a mission late last night."

"He didn't tell you did he. He must know by now, seeing you in person he surely would have figured it out. Natsu he's your son and she's your daughter." Lucy gestured to the girl beside her.

Natsu didn't say anything else. He walked out of the room and headed for the entrance. After he defeated Acnologia he was gonna beat the shit out of Conner. How could he lie to his father like that, deceive him?

Natsu walked outside into the darkness. It looked like Conner had created a rock cap over the town shielding it from the blast. From what he could tell the cap hadn't been pierced so that was a good sign.

He had to get moving. Who knows how long he had until Conner reached his limit. He was young and the fact he was toe to toe with Acnologia right now was impressive. "Just survive a couple more minutes. Kari I need your help. I need you to fly me to the top of the rock on the outside." The exceed picked him up and they went barreling towards the top.

* * *

Acnologia easily dodged his attacks, striking him back a number of times. By now he was sure he had to cracked ribs and a broken left hand. He had several scrapes and cuts across his body and Acnologia had received no injuries.

Things were getting out of hand. If he didn't start landing some hits soon, who knows how much trouble his father would have. Time to get serious. He concentrated on the center of his forehead. "Dragon Force: Awakening."

With that his magical power reserves were unleashed. The pain started to go away, his powers acting as an anesthetic. He could fight at nearly full power now. "So someone decided that it's time to use magic. Big mistake kid, soon enough you'll feel pain unimaginable."

Conner just stood there, a grin plastered his face. "I guess you don't fully know my magic. As the child of a Dragon Slayer I have gained the power of a Dragon Slayer. However, my body has developed pushing my powers into a new form." The man cocked his head, indicating he was confused. "I don't use the power of fire, my magic is magma."

Not interested anymore Acnologia transformed into his dragon form. He flew up into the sky preparing his breath attack. "Now child die along with the rest of the pitiful town." The blue light shone from his mouth and then came down in a roar. "Dragon Slayer art: Roar of the Magma Dragon."

His body filled with warmth as the magic created a magma like roar sending it into the sky. The two magics collided, creating waves of magical energy. It was almost overpowering, the two creating a pulse from their attacks.

The magic settled. They had cancelled out. That was by far his strongest attack and Acnologia didn't look phased. He really was no match for him. The dragon flew towards him. Lashing out a punch in dragon form he was sent flying through his rock cap. He fell painfully onto the ice shield. "Now this time you'll die.

He readied his breath attack again. This time Conner was ready to accept his fate. He wasn't strong enough to take out the dragon. He didn't deserve the title of Dragon Slayer.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist." Conner looked up. Natsu had punched the dragon in the face and he let out a yell. He had hurt him with just a fiery punch. I guess that was to be expected from the man who sealed Zeref, his father. "I hope you don't mind Conner but I think I'll take this from here." With that Conner nodded and passed out.

* * *

"So the mighty Salamander survived my attack. Now how did you do that." Acnologia looked pissed to see him. That gave some satisfaction to Natsu.

"Well you see weak sneak attacks like yours wouldn't hurt a fly." He put on one of his smiles. "And hurting one of my children puts you in a bad spot. I will kill you where ya stand."

Not letting the lizard respond he started throwing his flaming fists at him. Not being able to dodge in his dragon form, Acnologia morphed back to his human form. He was getting hurt pretty bad. The flames were burning his skin.

Acnologia lit up blue fists of his own and started his attacks, going one for one against Natsu. Unlike himself the dragon could do whatever he wanted, but Natsu had to restrict himself or he could hurt the people below them.

After a couple minutes of intense combat the fire mage was taking damage. He had to finish it and finish it now. If this went on any further he wouldn't be able to win. Transforming into the dragon once again, it seemed like he had the same thought.

"Etherious form awaken." Natsu's skin turned red and his hair grew long, reaching down to his chin. His eyes turned a mysterious silver color.

Above him he could here Acnologia yell. "Dragon Force: Awaken." The blue spots on his body began to glow. All the energy headed towards his mouth for his final attack. The light radiated into a slicing beam coming down towards Natsu.

"Fire Dragon Secret Art: Etherious Flame Sword Edge." The flames erupting from Natsu's body turned golden, spiraling up towards the breath attack. The two connected and Natsu watched as it overpowered the dragon's attack. Now spiraling upwards even further he saw it connect with Acnologia.

The flames vanished leaving a body falling towards the ground. The fight was over. Natsu released his Ehterious form, turning into the pink haired man once again.

* * *

A/N: Welp there you go. Hopefully it wasn't too boring, the fights were basically nothing. Don't forget to let me know what you think I'm doing right and wrong. Next chapter will be more plot, hopefully to finish it off. Then the real adventure will start.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima is and always be the amazing man who created Fairy Tail.

A/N: Wow, just wow. I'm pretty sure you guys will enjoy this chapter. Went into a lot of detail. Remember the next chapter will be uploaded next Sunday at 3PM eastern standard time.

* * *

He was forgetting something. These types of things always happened after turning back from his Etherious form. Loss of direction, headaches and short term memory loss were the ones that happened most often. He looked around, trying to remember what he'd forgotten. There was nothing. Just a large rock, with a hole. Hole. That word was significant. Why? What was on the other side of the hole? He started walking towards it. Why was he just in Etherious form? He closed his eyes but kept walking, trying to think. Blue kept coming to him. Then blasts? Black and blue lizard? No, it was a dragon. Acnologia.

Then all of it clicked back into his head. He had just taken him down, without too much effort. It was way different than the last time they fought. He washed the thought away. In the hole there was a person, most likely injured. He couldn't remember who to save his life, he started to run to the hole.

Inside the hole he could see the entire town. The only thing between him and the town was a giant ice shield. Gray, he had tried to create a big enough shield, but failed only covering about half. The light from the hole filtered down onto a small part of the ice. Laying there was a boy, no older than eighteen.

"Conner," he heard a scream from his shirt? Kari popped out, concern in her eyes. Then it really hit him. "Natsu hurry he doesn't look in good shape. Take him to the guild. I will fly ahead and let them know about the situation." With that he nodded, his head hurting now. He watched the little puffball fly away.

He jumped down quickly and pain shot through his legs as he landed. "Damn, far drop but that doesn't matter." He turned to look at Conner, his son. He was pretty beaten up with a big gash across his face.

Then the overpowering smell hit him. Blood, a ton of it. He looked around seeing blood all over the ice. He crouched down with one hand over his mouth and nose. He touched Conner's neck, waiting. He felt a thump. That was good, still living. How much longer? He picked the boy up and was startled. A deep long wound covered his back, blood still coming out. He had to go now.

Gently moving the boy he positioned him on his back. He could instantly feel the blood soaking into his shirt. How long had he been bleeding. Since he showed up? That had been at least ten minutes ago. How much blood does a person have? He didn't want to think right now. He had to get back to the guild. That's what Kari said so he was going to do it.

There was just one problem. How was he going to get down? The distance between the Rock and ice had hurt him that much. How was he going to jump now, this being at least twice the distance to the highest building. He couldn't think about it. With a running start he jumped, hoping velocity would do the rest. He closed his eyes, not wanting to know when it would happen.

His legs crumpled and the two started tumbling. He caught himself, looking up. Conner was still rolling nearing the edge. He lunged at him, catching him by the arm. He hadn't rolled off but wasn't more than an inch or he would've. They landed on top of a building. Fairy Tail wasn't too far, but with his legs it would be difficult now. "No time to complain, I'm not the one dying here." He picked him up running for the guild.

* * *

Shaking. Some more shaking. A lot more shaking. Nothing. Then a huge shake that made them fall out of their chairs. Then several minutes had passed and there was nothing. The battle must be over. She got up glancing at her mother, then looked at Gray. He was better than he was, looking better after making the shield. Her mother was impatient, waiting for some news. They had sent a couple people to look for the two guys.

Then some news came around. A little cat flew through the window, onto Gray's lap. "Master, it's bad. Conner is really beaten up." She saw her mother tense, worry spread across her face. "He's going to need medical attention when Natsu gets here." With that the cat flew out the window, probably searching for the two herself.

Gray stood up, walking over to the door. "Listen, whatever you do, whatever you see don't bring up anything about the past." Gray opened the door, turning to close it. He poked his head in, "No events, no objects and definitely no people. So much has changed and bringing it up would make things worse. If not for us for yourself." With that he closed the door, hearing the click.

Now her mother was crying. Why had Gray said that? At this moment in time they should be worried about Conner, her brother. He was in a bad shape. "Mom what was that about? Why would he say something like that right now?"

She heard her mom sniffle, trying to regain herself. Lucy looked up and cleared her throat. "If I bring something up by accident, it could shock people. He specifically meant people. I could hear it in his voice."

What was that supposed to mean. People specifically, not bringing up the past. Someone must've died but why would that matter. Her mother wouldn't know who was gone, so she was to stay quiet. That still doesn't explain... Her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion outside.

"They're back, hurry get him to the infirmary."

"Natsu are you okay? You don't look so great yourself."

"Shut the hell up and get out the way. He needs someone to help him." That was Natsu's voice. "It's gonna be close..." With that there was a thump outside the door.

By this time her mom was at the door. She hadn't heard Conner say anything. He must be unconscious. What was the thump?

"Dammit flame brain. You can't collapse with him on your back. Romeo help the kid to the infirmary. Natsu get your ass in my office, now."

"I need to make sure..."

"Now don't make me repeat myself."

She could hear them making their way to them. Her mom turned around looking at her. "Layla go check on your brother. Make sure everything goes as it needs to. I'm going to stay here."

She stood up, making her way to the door. Swinging the door open she looked back at her mom. She looked back and gave her a nod and she closed the door. Walking towards her were the two men, Natsu glaring at Gray. He was obviously pissed. Then he noticed her.

Everything was obscured for a second. It took her a moment to realize what just happened. He was hugging her. She returned the gesture, pulling him close. "You look just like your mother, so stay safe." He whispered it, and made his way after Gray.

That was her father. He knew nothing about her, but he instantly cared for her, just like Conner. With that thought in her mind she made her way to the infirmary.

* * *

The door opened and the two men walked in. She saw Natsu walk in, looking pissed. He wanted to make sure Conner was fine. She wanted to also, but knew something like this was going to happen. She locked eyes with the pink haired man, and she stared intently. He hadn't changed much, looking exactly the same. He walked over to her and fell on his knees. "I'm sorry. I didn't make it in time." His voice was so coarse, it hurt her ears. "By the time I got there he was already in bad shape, but I couldn't let Acnologia kill everyone."

"You did the best you could. Kari would've been killed if you sent her for him." Gray let them know. Did he have to use the word kill? It was just so relentless. "Now Natsu, Lucy we need to talk. I know you want to check on Conner but this has to come first." He looked at them and she nodded.

"Acnologia stated that he was here to collect a bounty." She saw Natsu react about to pounce on him. "He was after you Lucy. Seems he didn't care if you were dead or alive. That's not what's bothering me though." His eyes turned very serious now. "You were here for a single day and he knew you were here already. The only people in the guild that knew you were here were Levy and I."

He was right, but how did that mean anything. "Okay, but I passed a lot of people in town. They could have recognized me."

"He would have attacked yesterday then. Natsu was still away so he would have been able to kill us all. So what was different between yesterday and today? Why don't you tell us Lucy."

What was he trying to say. Natsu had showed back up but that's Natsu, he wouldn't do anything to hurt them. Gray was implying something. He was trying to say someone in the guild was giving information to someone. The guild. Layla. "Layla went to the guild last night."

"Exactly and she looks like you so much. Someone could mistake her for you, and could have passed information to someone." Gray looked around. He seemed uncomfortable. "We need to find him and get some information ourselves, or this will become a daily occurrence." His hand motioned towards the door. A shadow was poking out beneath the door.

Natsu got up moving slowly towards the door. Footsteps could be heard from outside the door, running down the hall. "Natsu go! They can't get away." He didn't even need to say that. As soon as they ran Natsu was out the door.

* * *

Who the hell was it? Running like a coward, turn around and face him like a man. They were in the main guild room now and people were staring. He tuned them all out, focusing on him. Then something startled him, hearing it from the crowd.

"Is that Gajeel?"

What the hell. Something was completely wrong now. The cloaked man he was chasing stopped at the door. He turned around, looking at him. He couldn't see his face but could see his smiling face. The cloak dropped and there he stood. Gajeel was here, impossible.

Black dust started from his feet, quickly rising. He was disappearing. What in the world is going on? He could see something taking his place. He stood there frozen. Why, why did it have to be one of them?

A creature of darkness stood in Gajeel's place. It looked like a tiger, all black with golden markings covering its body. It was just like five years ago, basically the same only with a different form. Back then there were hundreds, so one would be a piece of cake.

The black ball made for him, killing intent in its red eyes. He stood there, bathing in hatred. Why was it here? All of this was connected somehow, he was sure of it. Letting out a flaming fist, it connected with the tiger, watching it sizzle into dust.

* * *

He showed back up a few minutes later, looking even more pissed. People had followed him. Did he let the man get away? If he did then they had no information. Lucy also looked worried. "All of you go away. Natsu close the door behind you." He watched as the Dragon Slayer slammed the door and he heard 'oh' from multiple people. "Sit down and let us know what happened."

"Gray this is going to sound weird, but Gajeel was here." He felt his face tighten. Had he heard him right. "Then he turned to dust and one of the monsters from five years ago appeared. What the hell does this mean?"

"What's going on?" Lucy was shouting now. "Gray you told me not to talk about the past. So what if Gajeel was here, that just means he was the spy, right?"

"Lucy I guess I should let you know what happened. Get comfortable, it's quite a long and terrible story." She shuffled into a chair and Natsu sat down next to her, looking away so she couldn't see Natsu's face.

"Five years ago, Natsu and I had been sent out on a mission together. It was a request made by the employer. Both of us thought it was weird, requesting us two wasn't really the best idea." Lucy nodded her head in agreement. "We were heading back from the mission. It was quite an easy one, to take out a newly formed dark guild. We took them out no problem, and we stopped to eat. Everyone was eyeing us up, feeling uncomfortable we left. A few hours later we were crossing over a barren grassland. Then it all started." He watched Lucy squirm. He really was telling it like a story.

"Out of nowhere hundreds of beasts had showed up out of nowhere, materializing from thin air. Around them black smoke emitted. No matter how many we defeated there was always replacements. Several hours had passed and no progress was being made. We were low on magical power and injured in multiple places. I saw Natsu pass out after blowing them all up in Etherious form but it didn't matter. They just showed up again, closing in on me and Natsu. Just as they were about to pounce on him all I saw was a bright light, and then I had passed out to. When we came to we were in Crocus, at the main hospital and a week had passed."

"Okay so what does all that have to do with anything from before?" Lucy really was impatient.

"I wasn't done yet." With that he continued. "Afterwards we healed up and made our way back to Fairy Tail. It took us almost twice as long as usual, us being injured and all, and when we arrived back there was terrible news." With that Natsu looked up, teary eyed.

He said it with the most croaked voice he ever heard. "While we were away, another team had gone out on a mission and encountered the same beasts. Everyone but one died."

"Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Happy and Charle were the ones who had left. The only one to come back was Charle. Ever since then she has lived in the forest with the rest of the exceeds, refusing to talk to any of us."

He watched as Lucy processed the information. It was a lot to take in. "I thought that Natsu said that had just seen Gajeel. Wouldn't that mean that they're alive?"

"It wasn't him." Natsu spoke up. "I coulda told you it was him if he was the one standing behind the door. He has an odor I'll never forget."

"And this isn't some random encounter either. All of this is connected somehow. The beasts, our fallen friends and the bounty. I guess this is enough for now." He let out a sigh. "We can talk some more tomorrow, right now I need to take care of some other business. Feel free to stay and talk as much as you want." He got to his feet and left the room, not wanting to hear there conversation.

* * *

His head hurt a lot. Most of his senses weren't working, especially his hearing and seeing. Pain scattered across his body. What the hell was wrong with him? Had he angered his mom again and she beat him to a pulp. No, she wouldn't hurt him this bad, even in training.

Oh yea, he was in Magnolia now. He had just met his father and everything went to shit. The blue lizard had messed everything up, especially his body. He must look like crap.

Where was he? Dead maybe. No he still felt pain so that wasn't an option. His back was on a soft mattress, someone had moved him. To the hospital? It's a good possibility.

"Ho- a- - f-i-?" He was startled. He couldn't hear shit. He tried to look around with no luck. His vision was worse than his hearing. It was so annoying. But then he smelled the most delightful thing. Unlike his other senses his smell seemed to be better than usual. It was a mixture of sweat, tears and strawberries.

"I can't hear you." He was sure he had yelled it. The person had backed away, then disappeared. Great he scared her away. Then he felt her hand again. This time her hands were behind his ears. Something cold touch him and he winced. Then the same happened for the other ear.

"Okay." He could here again. Her voice was mesmerizing. "Let's try again. How are you feeling?"

"Like crap. There's pain everywhere and I can't see anything. How did I end up here anyway, wherever this place is?"

"Natsu carried you here, to Fairy Tail. This is the infirmary." That explained where he was but what was wrong with him. "You had been severely beaten by Acnologia. Multiple broken ribs, a broken wrist and arm, several gashes across your body, most serious ones being on your face and back." He was shocked. Had he been that beaten up. He lifted a hand to his face. A long scratch reached from his forehead across his eye. "I believe that one will become a scar." He heard her chuckle.

What was so funny about this. He was basically dead. It would take forever to recover. He couldn't take it, trying to sit up. "Too bad I have places to be."

"Lay down or you'll reopen your wounds. If that happens you will die." He refused, not wanting to take orders from some random stranger. Even if she was a member of Fairy Tail.

"I don't care. If it happens it's meant to be. I'm not going to be restricted to a bed. A random person wouldn't understand what I'm feeling right now."

"Conner," That voice, oh god. Why was she here? "You listen to her, because I do care about you. If you die then we won't be a family anymore." Layla was always right, even if he didn't like to admit it. Slowly he laid back down wincing in pain. "And she isn't some random person. Her name is Abbey. Treat her with respect, she will take care of you until you can be moved. I need to talk with our parents. Take care of him." He heard a light chuckle and a door close.

Then it really hit him. It was really cold. Him being cold? That wasn't even possible, having a reservoir of Magma Dragon Slayer energy swirling inside him. He tried warming himself making him colder. He felt a hand on his head, warm and he liked it.

"You're fever is coming back. Do you need anything?" Why was her voice so enticing?

"Really..." He let out a half pant half sigh." Cold." Finishing his sentence he felt powerless. He couldn't even speak two words without catching his breath. His mind went in and out, slowly losing consciousness.

The last words he could remember hearing made him happy. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I will make sure you feel comfortable."

* * *

A/N: Alright. Most of the plot was explained but as you read the first part of the first of the adventure still needs to be revealed. What could it be? Let me know! I'm interested in what you guys think.


	6. Chapter 6

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. I simply watch and read the amazingness Hiro Mashima created.

A/N: A lot of stuff in this chapter. It must seem a little rushed but I'm trying to get into the action. The adventure will begin soon.

* * *

She thought about what was just said. A handful of her friends had died while she was gone. Natsu almost died too, but was saved by some mysterious force. If she came back to Natsu being dead she wouldn't be able to live with herself. She felt tears welling up inside her, putting her hands over her face. She could've been there to save them, her friends. She didn't even know. She was a terrible person.

Arms closed around her. She slowed her sobbing to look up at Natsu. Tears flowed from his eyes as well. "It's not your fault. In fact it's the opposite. If you had been there you woulda died along with them. Then our children wouldn't have a caring mother." That made her cry even more. How could he say something like that? "Accidents happen. There's no reason to dwell in the past, rather we need to move into the future."

She thought about it. He was saying they needed to move on. How would that solve anything? From what she just heard this whole situation was connected to the bounty on her head. "It's all my fault though. If I wouldn't have run away and died, then maybe the others wouldn't have died." She barely choked it out. The thought of herself dying was a little too much to bear.

"Don't you speak like that, not now and not ever. Remember that we are family and would never hand anyone over. Think about it like this. I should've died today, along with everyone else. Conner protected me from the blast earlier. Then no one coulda stopped Acnologia. Because of you're decision, more people are able to live." He pulled her in tighter, letting out more tears. "And I wouldn't be able to live without you. You know that."

He had just lived without her for fifteen years. He could survive. Maybe he meant if he knew she were dead, he wouldn't have the will to live. Now though, he had more reasons to live. "Natsu, you have more than one reason to live now. You have two beautiful children who have their lives ahead of them." She squeezed him tight, letting him know she meant it.

"Thanks, not just for coming back but coming back with them. I wouldn't have it any other way."

They sat in silence for what felt like hours, hugging each other. Finally she backed off. They had things they needed to do. He was also aware, shuffling around to snap him out of it.

She couldn't help but stare at him. He didn't look different at all. He still wore the same black clothes and those sandals. He still had the pink frilly hair, just a little longer so it covered his forehead a bit more. Of course his eyes were the same. Scars riddled his body and then her eyes fluttered up to his neck, which had a scar of its own. She then realized something was off. "Natsu, where's Igneel's scarf? You never take it off."

His eyes darkened again. "I placed it somewhere else, somewhere important." That was like Natsu, always so vague. Where could he have put it? That was the one thing he treasured over everything, the last thing he had of his father. It must be somewhere really special.

"Don't worry Natsu, I wouldn't force you to do something." He looked up at her. "Now why don't we talk about something else?" His face said it all; he was confused. "Where will you stay now? Your house was completely destroyed. I don't think Levy would let you stay, especially since there is only one guest room."

He laughed. How was that a funny question? His house was destroyed and he almost died. He really was a weird one. "I have a spare place to stay. I haven't been there in a while but that doesn't really matter."

"Oh and where is this place? It's not like you, thinking ahead."

"The place costs seventy thousand jewel a month. Not too big, but it has enough room for two people. Conner will need a place to stay right?"

"Yeah probably." Wait did he just say seventy thousand? He wouldn't have would he? "Natsu don't tell me you..." She couldn't even finish her sentence, getting a nod from the man. "You flame brain." She wrapped her arms around him again. "That's so like you."

"I wasn't gonna let some person ruin your home. I couldn't really part with it myself. It has many precious memories, ones I never want to forget." She looked up to see his face. It was covered with a grin. Instinct took over and she shuffled onto her toes. He seemed to notice and lowered his head.

Their lips touched, happiness filling her body. Fifteen years he has waited for her. It's been that long since the last time they kissed. Minutes passed with their lips locked, both refusing to back off.

She was the one to break contact. A knock came from the door, startling her. They both were flustered. "One second." She gathered herself mentally. "Alright come on in."

The door opened. Layla poked her head through the door. She had a weird look on her face. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" She felt her face heat up. She was implying that her and Natsu were doing things.

"Nope, we were just talking about some stuff." Typical Natsu response. He probably didn't even knew what imply meant. He was one dense guy.

"Okay. The search party found Acnologia." She watched Natsu turn serious. "They wanted to know what you wanted to do, since you are the only match for him."

"Outta the way Layla. I don't want anyone following me. You two stay here with Conner. Me and Gray will take care of him." With that he strutted out the door, yelling for Gray.

"He sure is a weird one." She looked at her daughter, giving her a look. She was right though. He didn't give much thought into anything. "Are you sure he's our father? It doesn't even seem like he would know..."

"Stop right there." Her face was burning up. "I don't want to hear anymore. I don't even know why you have those thoughts in your mind." Layla turned away from her. "But one thing is for sure. He is your father, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

It was so bright. The whole town was engulfed in darkness due to the rock cap. They would have to take care of that soon. It was afternoon now. The sun was slowly falling from the sky and they were making there way to where Acnologia was. He had fallen off the one side of the rock cap and into the forest. He had apparently been burnt really bad.

Natsu was leading the way, using his nose. He had refused for anyone else to come. It was dangerous of course, but the state Acnologia was in he wouldn't be much of a threat. As if he could say anything, he had let the other two do all the work. Conner was in critical condition now. He should've helped him out.

"We're closing in on him. Be on your toes princess, he is unpredictable." Princess? So now he isn't even ice princess. He'll kick his ass later. He was right about Acnologia.

There was a clearing. They stepped out and across from them Acnologia was sitting against the trunk of a tree. He looked up and looked down again. It seemed he knew he was defeated.

"If you come with us of free will we won't have to hurt you anymore." The man let out a growl. "If that's your way of saying you retaliate then so be it."

"Just kill me and make your lives easier, not just now but for the long run." What? Was he saying that he'd cause more trouble, even after being defeated like he was. "Trust me I don't want to fight anymore, but that won't be an option. They'll be here soon and make me into their puppet, so if you kill me now I won't be able to do any more harm."

What was he saying? People were coming for him and they'd turn him into a puppet. What kind of shit was he trying to pull? He just wanted to die so he wouldn't have to live his days in confinement. "Bullcrap. We are taking you in and there's no lies that can say to make us change our minds."

"Lying you say. Just think about it. That iron dragon is dead and he just showed back up. He was made into their puppet." Gray felt his face twinge. He was saying that he'd be turned into a puppet. Does that mean all of them are puppets?

"Shut the hell up. I'm dragging you back to Fairy Tail and watchin you twenty four seven. Once the council shows up you're toast." Natsu couldn't read any situation, only acting on instinct. "Not like you're already toast." Adding insult to injury, the damn flame brain should've left the talking to him.

Okay so what should he do? Believe the dragon or bring him to justice. They needed information and if they killed him they wouldn't get it. "Natsu grab him and let's go. We can't waste anymore time."

He cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure, Master." He had a creepy grin on his face. He was crazy, but on the good side. So it was a good kind of crazy.

"Fools, you're just making it more difficult. If you end me now then more will be saved later."

"You need to answer for what you've done. I have plans for you myself." He did have plans, so he couldn't let the council get a hold of him either. Acnologia actually seemed petrified. What could scare him this much? "Don't worry. Whatever scares you so much won't get their hands on you."

"Gray you're acting weird. You going nuts?" Damn Natsu always oblivious to everything.

"Shut up and keep walking. We need to get back." Something was bothering him. "And I bet Lucy is worried about you."

"I'm gonna kill you ice princess, right after we get back. I'll show her just how strong I am."

* * *

Layla walked up to her mother. She looked as if she calmed down. Who knows what the three talked about?

She saw her mom look up at her. "So how is Conner doing?" Her mom sounded worried. She had never heard her mom sound like this before.

"He's doing good. Someone showed up and I watched as she patched him up. He has multiple broken bones and large scrapes across his body." Her mom twitched as she said the last part. "She said the expected time of recovery will be a month and it will be at least a week until he can get out of bed."

"So it really is that serious..." Her mom trailed off into thought. Conner was really in a bad state. If Natsu wouldn't have been there not only Conner but all of them would've died. "So who is the person who fixed up Conner?" She stood there confused. She wasn't expecting that question.

"Her name is Abbey. She is around our age, possibly a bit older." She saw her mom's face brighten a tad. Why was that so interesting to her. She sat there pondering the thought. It clicked in her mind. "Why the hell would you be thinking that? There is no chance of something like that happening. Conner is too dumb and childish to have feelings."

"Yea you're probably right. He never was one to have interest in women." They shuffled in the room to sit down. Things were getting a little awkward and tense so she tried to make conversation.

"So what's going to happen next? All this crap just happened and we only just got here." Her own voice sounded foreign to her.

"Don't worry about that right now. I honestly don't know what's going to happen. I wasn't given enough information because Gray is holding out. He obviously knows something or has some sort of plan."

She was feeling pretty stressed now. What if Acnologia was only the first part? Is there anyone stronger than him besides Natsu? If there is than they might not be as fortunate as she thought. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"Don't worry about it. For the time being that's all we can do about that. So in the mean time get to know new people. Fairy Tail gives people special bonds." Lucy's voice sounded full of joy. "They are so much more than friends to me. We had been through so much in the little time I spent with them. I'm proud to call them my family."

Get to know new people? Like Mira and Elfman. From what she could tell they both were the most normal ones out of the bunch. Everyone else seemed like a nuthouse. "Are you sure, a lot of the people seem sort of crazy."

"You and I think so much alike. I remember when I first walked into the guild, almost dying in the process. They may seem unruly but that's what makes them Fairy Tail."

The door swung wide open, revealing a familiar man. The pink hair was a dead indicator of who it was. He didn't seem to happy at the moment. "It's about time to go home girls." He didn't sound like himself. "It's gonna be dark soon. I'm staying to watch over Conner."

"I want to stay too. He's just as much my brother as he is your son." His gaze was now on her, squinting with anger. She had just let it all out, not thinking about it.

"Nah not tonight. I'm gonna make sure he is fine. You two look like you need to regathering yourselves." His anger faded. Must've not been because of them. He walked over to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not letting anything else happen. All of you are what I live for."

She could feel tears forming. She raised her hands to cover her eyes but was rudely interrupted. Arms reached around her. The man squeezed her, pulling her in tight. "I love you, dad."

* * *

He woke up to a coughing fit. He could feel the blood fall into his hand. The coughing ceased, along with the blood. His head was pounding, and he was really warm. He remembered feeling cold before.

He stared at the wall, trying to fumble around. He couldn't manage to turn himself. Wait he could see. He remembered everything being blurry but now it was crystal clear. "Damn it why can't I flip the hell over."

He had said it pretty loud. There was no one around so why did it matter. Or so he thought he was alone. "How ya feeling?" Oh crap not that voice. Anything but that voice. He managed to turn his head just enough to see Natsu sitting on a chair just beyond the edge of the bed. And he didn't look at all happy.

"Uhh, doing pretty good how about yourself?" He saw Natsu nearly leap off the chair. Why was he so sarcastic? It would surely kill him one of these days. "Sorry I meant I'm doing alright, just a bit scared."

"You should be. As soon as you can move I'm straightening you out. It looks like Lucy doesn't know how to raise a child like you."

"Listen I know I left to fight Acnologia but I'm still alive so why are you mad. Everything came out the way it should, except for maybe the injuries."

"The only things I'm pissed about is you lying. Or not explaining things fully. I know for damn sure you know who I am so why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me I'm your dad?"

"I was afraid. Not because of you but how you would've reacted." He watched Natsu give him a look, one that said 'yea and I'm still reacting.' "And once all that crap happened I couldn't have you worry about me. You were the only one who could save everyone if my rock cap would have crumbled."

"I hope you realize that dragon was toying with you." His heart dropped. That guy was just messing with him. He had even went into dragon force. "He hadn't even used his dragon force until I showed up. Just one more thing and then I'm going to grab something to eat." He changed subjects quicker than lightning. "What kind of magic do you use?"

He looked at him blinking. Did he really not know? Guess it wasn't as obvious as he thought. "I use dragon slayer magic." With that Natsu had a grin on his face. "It was derived from you. It transformed your flames into a more tangible form, increasing destructive power. I'm the Magma Dragon Slayer."

"Glad to hear it, but just cuz you're a Dragon Slayer doesn't mean you're invincible." He had already gotten up making for the door. He opened it and stepped out, poking his face back in. "Oh and make sure to thank Abbey for taking care of you. She really is a nice person." With that he closed the door and was gone.

Abbey was the medic right. She had said she would be taking care of him. Was she around or had she gone home? Now that he thought about it all he knew about her was her name. He tried to remember the scent. It really was a delightful scent.

He then realized that he could hear a noise. It was real faint, but sounded close. It was on his far side and it would hurt a lot if he tried to flip over. He wouldn't have minded but it was really annoying. Taking in a deep breathe he pushed himself up and flipped onto his other side. He let out a yelp. He closed his eyes from the extreme pain.

"Hey what are you doing? Are you okay?" He heard her voice. "What do you think you are doing? If you don't stop fumbling around you will hurt yourself even more."

"Abbey?" He saw her face, looking puzzled. "What are you doing here? Go home and get some rest." He didn't want her to worry about him. He could take care of himself overnight. The noise he heard earlier was gone.

"Don't worry about that. I actually was just sleeping." He saw her turn away. She did look pretty frazzled, her hair in a mess. Then he took a look at her. This was the first time he had seen her.

She was short, about as tall as Layla. She had red hair that reached her shoulder blades. She wasn't the skinniest girl he ever saw but not big at all. Then she turned and their eyes locked. They were a light brown.

"What do you mean you were sleeping? There isn't anywhere to sleep over there." He looked around, the wall wasn't too far away from his bed. She looked a little flustered. "Don't tell me you were sleeping on the floor."

She looked at him, giving him a glare. "As if." She walked towards the door and reached out for the handle. "I'm sorry that I tried to aid you in a time of need." With that she walked out and slammed the door.

What just happened? Is she mad? No way he didn't say anything mean so why would she be angry? He was still facing the same way looking at the wall. Something was laying next to the bed.

He shuffled, trying to get closer to the edge. He had to flip into his stomach to get at the right angle. "A chair," he whispered. So she had been sitting next to him. She said she fell asleep so that meant she was half asleep on his bed.

That's what that noise was. She had been snoring and he woke her up. He felt bad now, all she wanted to do was watch over him. He had been a total jerk, he'd have to apologize. Pushing up against the edge of the bed he tried to flip over again. His hands slipped and he tumbled, falling off the bed onto the floor.

* * *

A/N: Okay so a little update. Oscars are today so if you watch enjoy. Also since I feel bad about updating on Sunday's I decided that two chapters will be released each week. One at 3PM EST and the second at 6PM EST. So expect the next chapter in a couple hours.


	7. Chapter 7

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All is owned by Hiro Mashima.

A/N: So as I said before every Sunday at 3n6PM EST a chapter will be posted. Hopefully you enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to let me know what you think of the story thus far.

* * *

He saw her run out of the infirmary. She didn't look too happy either. She walked in circles and so far hadn't noticed him sitting at the bar. What could be bothering her. "Hey Abbey," he jumped to his feet walking towards her. "... You alright?"

She turned to look at him. He could see her perfectly fine but she wasn't like him. She would have trouble seeing in the dark. "Yes Natsu I'm fine. Conner is just an inconsiderate jerk."

Inco- what now. He would roll with it. "Yea he's probably just like me. Not really thinking before anything, just jumping in and causing trouble."

"That sounds like him and I've only talked to him twice." She looked into his eyes now. "Natsu why do you and my dad fight a lot? I don't want to be that way with Conner."

"Is that what you're worried about?" Her head nodded slowly. "Me and Gray have just been at it since the beginning. We might argue a lot but we do it for fun." She looked confused. "Like we only do it because we both want to."

"Yea okay. How could I be friends with Conner if our fathers constantly fight." She didn't understand but that's alright. "Why do I even care?"

"Because you are a Fairy Tail wizard. You try to find the good in people. Trust me Conner's a good guy but from what I've learned he's learned a secluded life. They were forced to stay away from everyone at an early age. He doesn't know how to behave now that he has been exposed to all of us. Just give it some time, I'm sure he will become a great friend."

"You sure Natsu? Are you sure he will be able to adapt?"

"Yea he's a good guy. And didn't you mention the fact that the two fathers fight a lot. There's just one flaw there." She was listening intently. "The two mothers. Lucy and Juvia have been great friends, for a long time. So they cancel each other out right."

"You have a weird way of thinking. Alright I'll go along with what you say." She walked up to him and threw her arms around him. "Thanks for the talk."

"No problem." He really had no idea what he was saying. Or did he. He didn't want to think about this right now. Then came a loud thump.

"What was that?" She looked at him expecting to get the answer. "Please don't tell me..." Off she went, running for the infirmary doors.

He let a smirk cover his face. "You idiot, I'll just leave you two alone. Don't be a jerk this time." He turned for the kitchen. "I wonder what Mira has stocked up in here." He let out a maniacal laugh.

* * *

What just happened? He had fallen on top of the chair and then onto the floor. It had hurt a lot and there was no way he could lift himself back on the bed. "Man I really am stupid."

He heard the door fly open, cracking against the wall. "Conner?" It was Abbey's voice. She sounded pretty concerned. Was she still mad at him? No point in worrying about that, he was injured on the floor.

"Yea I'm fine, just fell on the ground." He heard her scuttle over past the bed. She had a look of mixed anger and worry. Finally she smiled. Why would she do that? "You gonna help me out here, it's not the most comfortable position in the world." His legs were still half on the bed. "And what's with that smile?"

"You just look so funny." Not the answer he was expecting. "And helpless." Was she teasing him? He wouldn't have any of this.

"I think I'm bleeding again, on my far side." She looked pretty worried again. She flew herself to the floor, throwing the chair across the room. She was now inspecting him.

"There's no blood. Did you just..." He didn't let her finish. He grabbed her so she couldn't move. She let out a yell, throwing a fit. "Let me go. What's going on with you?"

"I'll let you go when you promise to get me back on the bed." He couldn't see her but could tell she was mad again. "I can't lift you. You weigh a bit too much." He heard her chuckle again.

"Haha so funny." She was calling him fat. All his weight came from his muscle and he had a lot of that. "But seriously you can't lift me?"

"Nope." Short and sweet. Looks like he was spending the night on the floor. "Well if you can't lift me then I guess I'm not letting go." She tensed up, heartbeat racing.

"What? That's totally out of my control." Did she actually feel cheated? Doesn't matter she would have to deal with it. "Pleasssssse let me go." He was already tired of her whining.

"Fine but could you grab the blanket for me. I don't feel like freezing to death." With that he let go and she scrambled to her feet. He watched as she walked past the bed and out of view. "Seriously." He was furious. "You couldn't even grab a blanket for me."

"Shut up, you're more annoying than Natsu and Gray when they're fighting." She showed back up, with two blankets. She propped him up against the wall.

"I don't need two blankets you know. I'm fine with just one." She didn't say anything, throwing one blanket over him.

Then she sat down. Covering the other blanket over herself. "Who said this blanket was for you. I can't leave you alone because you'll end up killing yourself." She positioned herself next to him, both sitting up. "You should get some more rest."

He didn't need to hear that. He was really exhausted, having doing nothing physical at all. He leaned over so he could be supported by her. He slumped his head over. "Sorry for earlier. I see now why you'd be mad. Sleeping on the floor really is embarrassing." His body ignored his mind. He fell asleep right there and then, only after hearing her response.

"Natsu was right. You really aren't so bad, just a little weird." She said it in a whisper, thinking he wouldn't hear. Too bad he was a Dragon Slayer.

* * *

The sun was shining through the window. Wait, the whole town was covered by a rock cap. How would that be possible. Layla rolled over onto her stomach, feeling irritated. "I don't want to get up." She got no response.

She flipped over to find that her mom was no longer there. Where had she gone? The guild was the only reasonable answer.

She hobbled off the bed making her way to the window. Opening it she stuck her head out to look at the sky. The entire rock cap was gone, but the ice shield was still there.

She turned and walked for the door, opening and trudged through the hallway. The main room was empty and no one was in the kitchen. Sighing she walked over to the table in which she found a note.

'Layla, as you know I'm not at Levy's apartment. Her, Natsu and I have left to go check something out. We will be gone for a couple hours. If you wouldn't mind heading to the guild and checking on your brother that would be nice. We will show up around mid day. All the love in the world, your mother.'

"Well isn't that amazing, leaving me as the baby sitter. He already has one, so I'll just do some exploring of my own." Why should she listen to her mother? She wanted to see some of the town. Like the cathedral and cherry blossoms.

So she walked out of the house towards the direction of the cathedral. It wasn't too far of a walk, she would be able to make it there in a couple minutes. She watched all the people moving through the streets, looking happy. They all smiled and laughed. She hopes that she will be able to become a part of the guild and have moments like the people of Magnolia.

She was now a block from the cathedral and decided to take the back alleyway. She walked down without a care in the world. "Looks like we caught ourselves a nice one boss." She stood there frozen. In front of her stood two men, evil intentions covering there faces. She quickly turned and collided with two more men, falling to the ground.

"Looks like she doesn't want to come with us. Too bad, we will have to use force if necessary so don't start a fuss."

"Yea little one. Might as well come along peacefully and then we won't have to hurt you."

"Screw off you pervs. I'll have you know..." She couldn't even finish, all of them jumping at her at the same time. She covered herself with her arms waiting for the dog pile of pigs. Nothing.

She looked up, scanning the area around her. There was nothing, no people around. Then a little girl appeared out of nowhere. She looked no older than herself. She had very long hair that almost reached her feet. She didn't wear any shoes and had on a beautiful outfit.

The girl turned to walk away. Did she get rid of all the bad guys? She wouldn't get any answers sitting around. "Hey you, did you get rid of all those men?"

The girl turned around with a surprised look on her face. She just smiled. "Yes I did and you're lucky I was around. Those men were slave traders. They would've made you a slave and shipped you off to a distant country."

Why were people so messed up in this world? "Thank you miss. Do you mind if I ask you your name or is that too much."

"I guess it doesn't matter. My name is Mavis. Mavis Vermillion and I'm a member of Fairy Tail. I remember seeing you there the other day." She was a member of Fairy Tail. What kind of magic did she use? And how did she get rid of all those guys?

"Well that's good to know. I was going to be joining soon myself. I guess that I'm almost a member, I just need the guild mark."

"Oh so you're not a member yet. How strange..." She went off into deep thought. How is that strange? She had just shown up in Magnolia less than three days ago. "Come on let's go to the guild. It's a lot safer there than in this alleyway."

Captain obvious over here gets the gold medal. Mavis was right though. She didn't want to spend another second here. "Well what are you waiting for Mavis? Get moving or I'll leave you behind. Oh and by the way I'm Layla."

They both took off down the street. "Nice to meet you Layla. I have a feeling your someone really special." Wait really? What was so special about herself? "I think we will become great friends." She just used that word. Friend. Her mother wanted her to make friends and now here she was making her first true friend. Maybe it wasn't the best way to meet someone but that's whatever.

After about a half hour of walking they made it to the guild. She was supposed to check up on Conner. "Sorry Layla but I have to take care of some business today. I might see you later alright." There was a smile on her face.

"Of course. I have things I need to do to. Don't worry about it, I'll be around a lot more once I officially join."

With that Mavis nodded and walked up the stairs. Now she needed to get to the infirmary. It was in the back right corner of the guild.

The guild was considerably less quiet. Not many people were even there. They had to be out on missions. She quickly walked to the infirmary doors. When she walked in Conner wasn't on his bed.

"Conner where are you?" There was no answer. No need to panic, they could've moved him somewhere else. She walked closer to the bed, and could now hear an annoying noise from the far side. Don't tell me he fell off the bed.

She rounded the corner and almost let out a yelp. Sitting there together was Conner and Abbey. For the most part they were separated. But they were touching. Conner's head was buried on her shoulder, with her own head leaning against his. "He'll never hear the end of this if I tell the guild."

* * *

The place looked exactly the same the day she left. All the furniture the same. Nothing had been touched, except nothing was covered in dust. Just how often did Natsu visit. "It looks exactly like I left it."

"I didn't want anything to be different. I wanted to come here and remember all the great times we had." He really was a man. "And I wanted you to return to a beautiful home. It looks like you won't be the one using it though." His entire face was a smirk and he was also a jerk. "You can come visit anytime you want."

"Natsu just how destroyed is your house. Is there anything left?" She changed the subject, knowing he didn't have any short term memory.

"Completely destroyed." So blunt. He didn't even seem concerned that his house was gone. "That doesn't matter though. I can just rebuild it." He said it so nonchalantly.

"Anyways I think we've been here long enough." She didn't want to be here for long. She had just wanted to make sure her letters were fine. "How about you show me where your scarf is?" After that Natsu didn't seem so happy go lucky.

"Yea I guess we could." He guesses. Where could it be that he didn't want to go? "Just remember that you wanted to see it okay." She nodded.

They left her house and made there way through the streets. After a little bit they stepped onto a street she was unfamiliar with. They walked halfway down the street and then turned into a cemetery. Why would his scarf be here?

They stopped in front of a headstone. Maybe not so much a headstone but a giant memorial. It didn't have just one name on it but several. 'Happy the little blue cat that could make everyone laugh. Gajeel Redfox was one of the most loved and annoying people in all of Fairy Tail.' Did they really put that on there. 'Wendy Marvel was one of the youngest members of the guild but that's what made her special. Her Dragon Slayer powers is what made her really stand out. Finally on this day, Erza Scarlet was one of the guilds strongest. She led the way through countless battles and had been a part of the guild for many years. It's been a sad parting but we know we all will meet again someday.' Around the top of the memorial Natsu's scarf was wrapped.

She had been crying for a while now. They wouldn't stop coming either. All her friends were just gone and it all happened five years in only an instant. It was too much to bear.

"Come on don't cry anymore. You know that's my only weakness." She felt his arms wrap around her. His head pushed against her forehead. "Remember what I said, don't dwell on the past. Focus on what lies ahead." When did he get so good with words?

"Thanks Natsu. I really can count on you for anything, can't I?"

"Hell yea you can. Now come on get up, looks like rains coming our way." She looked up to see clouds moving quickly. When did that happen? "Let's go to the guild. Things are going to be pretty interesting."

"Oh man, that doesn't sound good." She saw him crack a smile. He led the way out of the cemetery and they made their way to the guild.

* * *

Why was she here? She hadn't shown up for a while now. Something must be wrong. "So why are you here Mavis? I thought that you were with Laxus and Makarov."

"I come bearing bad news. Makarov just passed away. Laxus should be showing back up within the week. He's taking his time to give him a proper burial."

"So he really is gone. It was inevitable. He's been around for a long time. How is Laxus taking things?"

"Alright. He's been preparing for it. Anyways with that beside I have a question to ask you. Who is this Layla girl?" How did she know Layla? "And don't lie to me Gray." What is so important about her?

"She's a new member of the guild, or to be precise a to be member. I'm waiting to talk to her brother and if he agrees were going to mark them together. They are the children of Natsu and Lucy." She had a shocked look on her face. "Lucy returned with them a couple days ago."

"So it is true that they don't have guild marks yet." Gray nodded his head. "Well how come Layla can see me then. It took her a moment to see me but she can see me. Only people with the guild mark can see me."

"You're asking me Mavis. They said she doesn't have any magic but I believe it's just dormant inside her. Maybe her magic allows her to do certain things others couldn't. She does seem pretty special."

"I can't wait to see what she's capable of. I hope she is something we've never seen before."

"Trust me. It's Natsu's kid. You never know what they're capable of." The two of them broke out in laughter.

* * *

A/N: So what is so special about Layla? What makes her able to see Mavis? Some things just need to remain a mystery. Anyways I like how this Tory is turning out. The real action should start taking place soon. Actually it already has. (I've already wrote out the next two chapters, haha.)


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